A few weeks ago Fedde Le Grand, a legendary Dutch house DJ, teamed up with Noel Holler to release “Tokyo Lights”, a track featuring the vocals of French Original. The single is out now on Universal Music. When this song came out, I couldn’t stop listening to it. Noel is a young 23-year old rising star and puts his signature sound on ths release. He is young, but he sets himself up for a bright future collaborating with talent like Fedde. I was so impressed by him, I reached out to schedule an interview. Wow, what a treat. It is an honor to share his story with you here today. Enjoy!!!
Tell me more about “Tokyo Lights”, your new hit single with Fedde Le Grand. The song is great, by the way!
Thank you! I still can’t believe that this has happened. Fedde is such a legend in this game. It made me so proud to work with him on this tune. It was like a dream coming true.
How did French Original get involved?
French Original has such a nice voice. We both think it’s just perfect for the song.
We have some really good friends in Berlin. Where are you originally from?
I live in Gütersloh, which is near Bielefeld. I feel comfortable here and it’s simply my home. It’s good when you’re on the road so much to have a place where you can come down. But I am also in love with Berlin. I am there multiple times a month for sessions or meetings with my label.
There are some amazing nightclubs in Germany. What are some of your favorite places to visit?
There are so many nice clubs in Germany, it’s really crazy. In my home country there are two clubs that I love: Cafe Europa and Deja Vu Verl – super sweet and it feels like a big family. The Bootshaus Club in Cologne is also huge, of course, or next in Ahaus. In general, there are just so many good clubs in Germany. It’s pretty nice.
COVID-19 put a damper on festivals. When this thing is behind us, what festivals are you most looking forward to?
To be honest, I just look forward to every single festival, bigger or smaller. Just being on stage again, with good weather and positive energy, that’s why I became a DJ. My tour calendar for next year is filling up right now. I’m in Switzerland at the beginning of April at the SunIce Festival. I think that’s the first really big festival after corona and I am super excited.
Who are you listening to when you’re not working on your own stuff?
I am listening to a lot of different music from different artists around the world, not only from those that everyone knows. Check out my playlist to find out which tracks are my favourites.
It seems like every DJ has a podcast. Any plans to produce a podcast in the future?
I really like to talk a lot. (Laughs) But a podcast has to be well done to be listened to. You have to have something to say and it also has to be well edited.
Do you and Fedde plan on performing “Tokyo Lights” together soon?
We already performed the song together at the Electric Love Festival in Austria in September. That was great. We both have a busy touring calendar right now, but I’m sure when the festival season kicks off again next year, there will be another opportunity.
What’s the best concert you’ve been to?
Tchami 2014 nearby my hometown. I am a huge fan of his songs and he is such a talented DJ. His energy on stage is insane. Can’t wait to see him again.
When seeing Noel Holler live, what can fans expect?
Happiness, energy, and a time to remember with friends. I think it’s so important to have a connection with the crowd – and I definitely have that. It makes me happy when I see people dancing and having a good time while listening to my music. There is no better feeling than that.
Speaking of Tokyo, have you been? Makes me think of “The Fast and Furious” franchise.
Unfortunately, not yet. But I’ve been thinking a lot about the country lately and I’d really like to go there – and it would be great if I could play in a club there. A few days ago, I went with my team in Berlin to Japanese stores and restaurants to get a feel for the culture and specialties. That was super interesting.
What headphones are around your neck? I’m a huge fan of Bose.
I use the ones from Sennheiser. I really like them and they have been with me for so long. I played my first gigs with headphones from this brand.
Speaking of live music, you have a big tour planned this winter. What is it like being on the road? And how will the pandemic impact live music in the near future?
You can’t imagine how great the feeling is. I became a DJ because I want to make people happy with my music and my sets. In the club or at festivals you can just forget the world around you and it makes me happy every time the crowd is happy during my sets.
In the beginning I thought that maybe the scene would change a bit or other DJs would take the lead. But in the end nothing really changed. The same DJs are still booked and the line ups don’t necessarily look different than in the last years (before the pandemic).
Where can folks at home learn more about you and your music?
I am a person who can motivate myself very well. I always want to give more than 100% because I know that hard work simply pays off. I know that sounds simple, but I’m really sure that with hard work and a good team, you can do anything.
What’s next for Noel Holler?
With that answer, I’m sure everyone is saying they are working on new music and yes, I am working on new music as well haha. But for me, it’s really special because: I have concentrated more on my shows in the past years and hardly produced and released music. During the pandemic I had time to deal with that. So I’m just starting to work in the studio more often and that’s super exciting. I’ll definitely be releasing regularly from now on and there’s definitely some music coming from me this year.
Thank you for doing this. In all of the interviews I do, I always give the artist the last word. Go.
Please stay positive all.
I think it’s important to take care of yourself and always keep your health in mind. No matter how amazing it is to have a lot of shows and always be on the road, it’s also important to take care of yourself and make time for family and friends.
Connect with Noel Holler:
Website: https://www.universal-music.de/noel-holler
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/noel_holler
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/noel.relloh
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7GAYMj354pCJ0yazsS0ryj
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/noel-holler
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/noel-holler/1470139974
